Entrepreneurs Nikki Linn and Rusty Niedwick pitched their cat toy company during
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick overview of what happened to Kitty Kasas after
Nikki Linn and Rusty Niedwick appeared on
| Shark: | Result: |
| Lori Greiner | Accepted deal for $200,000 in cash for 30% equity |
| Kevin O’Leary | $200,000 in cash for 33.3% equity |
| Mark Cuban | No offer |
| Barbara Corcoran | No offer |
| Sara Blakely | No offer |
- Entrepreneurs: Nikki Linn and Rusty Niedwick
- Business: Pet Accessories
- Ask: $200,000 for 20% equity
- Result: $200,000 for 30% equity
- Sharks: Lori Greiner
Nikki Linn and Rusty Niedwick, are a couple of tattooed bikers, who happen to also have a soft spot for their cats. However, they couldn’t find easy to clean, durable enrichment toys for their cats, so they eventually created Kitty Kasas.
Kitty Kasas Donut Bed 14'', Gray
- Buttery soft faux fur
- Filled with extra thick 100% poly fill for maximum comfort
- Machine Washable
We earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you.
Kitty Kasas are a modular, stackable cube system for cats. The cubes can be used individually, or stacked in hundreds of different ways.
Additionally, they come in tons of different colors and styles, plus they’re indestructible, which is great news for any cat owner.
In the almost two years of the company’s existence, Kitty Kasas generated almost $600,000 in sales. Mark Cuban was interested in knowing more about the financial numbers, so he kept asking similar questions.
Rusty ultimately told Mark that the company generated $200,000 in the most recent quarter. Further, financial projections showed that continuing to trend upward in the future.
Guest shark Sara Blakely asks the partners how they got into the cat toy business. Nikki shares that together they have run a no-kill animal shelter for the last 20 years.
Because of this, they had searched for durable options to keep their cats happy, but simply couldn’t find something. Although they really made the product for themselves, they eventually began selling them to people who came in to adopt cats.
In terms of cost, each unit is just $10 to $11 to produce, depending on the design. However, Nikki and Rusty sell them between $29-$49.
Although, they ran into a major problem when they took their products to a trade show in Germany. There they did a deal with a huge plastics company, however, the company basically ripped them off and stole all of their intellectual property.
This caused them to have to basically start all over, while pursuing legal action against the plastics company. They eventually chose to redesign, and patent their product, and build their own plastics mold.
Now that they’re back up and running, they want an investment to expand. Specifically, they need to hire employees so they can have assistance with sales.
The first shark to drop out was Sara, but Kevin O’Leary was interested in making a financial offer to Nikki and Rusty. He said that he wanted to be a third partner and would give them $200,000 in cash for 33.3% equity of the company.
While Lori Greiner thought about the offer she was about to make, Barbara Corcoran and Mark decided to drop out because they didn’t like cats, or the industry of cat products.
After debating to herself, Lori decided to make the exact same offer as Kevin. Nikki and Rusty ultimately counter offered Lori’s offer with 30% equity, and she accepted.
Did Lori eventually help Nikki and Rusty to expand their company? Keep reading our Kitty Kasas update to find out!
We have good news to share in our Kitty Kasas update! The company was eventually acquired by Jolly Pets, for an unknown amount.
Jolly Pets, sells all the Kitty Kasas things any cat owner could possibly want! Kitty Kasas products are available on the Jolly Pets website, Amazon, and at many pet stores like Petco, Pet Supplies Plus, and more!
You can find the other company updates from Season 10 Episode 11 here:
- Makeup Junkie Bags Update
- Angel Shave Club Update
- Sonnet James Update
For even more on companies and products, be sure to stop by ourSeason 10 products page!
Andrew Smith
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Andrew Smith is the founder and owner of Shark Tank Recap. He is a longtime Shark Tank fan that has been watching it for years and has seen every episode multiple times. His friends know him as the Shark Tank expert, because he can answer any question about the show! His favorite Shark Tank products are Bertello's pizza oven and Bug Bite Thing!
